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Ventura County authorizes fire district to pursue ambulance service options, seeks private‑partner bids
Summary
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a package of actions enabling the Ventura County Fire Protection District to pursue provision of ambulance transport services, including submitting a proposal to the county's ambulance RFP, issuing a new RFP for public–private partnerships, and hiring consultants to prepare procurement documents.
Ventura County supervisors voted unanimously March 11 to let the Ventura County Fire Protection District explore providing private‑ambulance transport and to authorize staff and consultants to prepare for procurement. The board approved a revised policy on private ambulance subcontracting and gave the fire district authority to submit proposals to the county ambulance RFP and to issue an RFP seeking a public‑private partnership or “alliance” model.
The request came from Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner, who told the board staff had studied models and finances since the board first directed an RFP in 2022 and concluded, “we do believe we can provide a higher level of service than the county is receiving today.” He asked for authority to retain outside help to draft an alliance RFP and to allow limited contracts under $50,000 to prepare for the procurement.
The board did not direct an immediate in‑house takeover. Instead supervisors approved a set of steps to evaluate every option on the table — private partnerships, alliance arrangements and direct provision — and return with a proposal. Chief Gardner said legal counsel and county staff had been involved “to make sure everybody stayed in their lanes.”
Supervisors praised the district’s local recruitment and retention work; Gardner had earlier highlighted the department’s training pipelines while noting the family of a recently deceased Ventura County firefighter. There was no public speaker for the item.
The board clerk recorded the vote as unanimous: Supervisors LaVere, Garrell, Long, Lopez and Chair Parvin voted yes. The board adopted the revised resolution the district had submitted during agenda review and asked staff to proceed with the procurement steps and consultant hire as requested.
What happens next: The fire district will prepare the alliance/public‑private RFP, seek proposals and return to the board with the results and a recommended path forward for ambulance transport services.
